The King and Queen visit Uppsala County — watch films here

The King and Queen visit Sublift AB, which develops and manufactures boat hoists. Photo: royalcourt.se

The King and Queen summarised the day as follows: "Uppsala County had so much to offer, from the story of how Scandinavia's first water buffalo came to Harbo, to the everyday stories we heard at the family centre. We were also delighted that so many people came to Östhammar to meet us." 17:03 The King and Queen arrived at the incubator company Sublift AB at Öregrund Shipyard, where they were given a guided tour. Sublift develops and manufactures boat hoists. Find out more about Sublift here. 16:40 The King and Queen continued towards Uppsala Innovation Centre (UIC). Lars Olde, an adviser at UIC, recalled that he met The King 40 years ago on one of his official visits. He then explained how UIC acts as an incubator for growth companies both within and beyond the Uppsala region. Find out more about UIC here.

16:10 The King and Queen visited Industrihydraulik AB, where CEO Christer Carlsson explained about the company's history. The company was founded in 1974, and now has 25 employees. Industrihydraulik specialises in the construction of hydraulic machinery and peripheral equipment. The company has also developed mobile boat washing equipment, which offers an environmentally friendly solution to the problem of cleaning the hulls of smaller boats, thereby reducing the need for toxic hull paints. Find out more about Industrihydraulik here.

The King gives a speech on Rådhustorget. Photo: Leif R Jansson/Scanpix

15:39 The King gave his speech on Rådhustorget in Östhammar, saying: "So far, our visit today to Uppsala County has both impressed and inspired us in a number of different ways. When I visited the region 40 years ago, I encountered a slumbering rural area that had been affected by the steel crisis of the 1970s. Today we have seen a very different region, which has undergone fantastic growth, with faith in the future and tremendous opportunities for those who live in the county."

The Alfine band plays on the square. Photo: royalcourt.se

The King and Queen are welcomed to Rådhustorget in Östhammar. Photo: royalcourt.se

15:32 The King and Queen arrived at Östhammar and walked to Rådhustorget. 15:14 During the coach journey to Östhammar, Municipal Commissioner Jacob Spangenberg told The King and Queen about Östhammar Municipality, which they visited last year to open Dannemora Mine. Östhammar is a medium-sized Swedish municipality, and Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant is the biggest employer. The main geographical features are the coastline and the archipelago, which attract large numbers of tourists as well as new inhabitants. Most inward migration comes from Stockholm and Uppsala.

Lunch was served at Forsmark Manor House. The manor house was built during the 1760s and 1770s.

14:06 The King and Queen arrived at Forsmark Manor House, where lunch was served. 13:24 Fifty metres below sea level, Plant Manager Håkan Andreasson gave a tour of the final disposal facility for low and medium activity waste, and explained how waste is processed in a silo where radioactive waste is cooled down. The problem with the waste is not the quantity, but the hazardousness.

The King and Queen at the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company facility in Forsmark on Friday. Photo: Leif R Jansson/Scanpix

13:02 The King and Queen arrived at the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company facility in Forsmark. CEO Christopher Eckerberg welcomed them and explained about the company's operations, which are based in Oskarshamn, in Stockholm and here in Forsmark. Forsmark was chosen for geological reasons. Find out more about the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company here.

En route to the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company facility in Forsmark. Photo: royalcourt.se

12:25 The King and Queen took off for Forsmark and flew over the Gräsö eastern archipelago nature reserve. 11:59 Heading towards Tierp Arena, CEO of Tierps Arena AB Lars-Erik Lindberg spoke about the motorsport facility. 11:38 The King and Queen met a group of staff, children and parents. During meetings, parents decide on the themes for the group. The current theme is budgeting and finances. The parents told The King and Queen what the meetings mean to them. Facebook is also a useful tool for the group, keeping them connected when they don't see each other at the family centre. 11:19 The King and Queen visited the Björkgården family centre.

11:10 The King and Queen arrived in Tierp. 11:00 Ann Nilsson, manager of the family centre in Tierp, spoke about the work carried out by the centre. Founded in 1998, it helps parents with cognitive difficulties. The centre has devised a programme for cooperation, development and parenting. The programme is now being rolled out in other municipalities. The aim is to create a national knowledge centre. At the family centre, the various municipal operations work together to help parents, at a single location. 10:48 Back on the coach, Chairman of Tierp Municipal Executive Board Bengt-Olof Eriksson spoke about the municipality. There are three power stations in the municipality, which draw power from the River Dalälven. One of the municipality's problems is housing, with insufficient homes being built to meet demand. Around a hundred new homes will be built during 2013. Bengt-Olof also explained that there used to be nine ironworks in the municipality. Production gathered pace in the early 17th century, and Lövstabruk was once Sweden's largest ironworks.

Linda Elvingson (right) speaks about the greenhouse at Ängsholmen, where an aquarium of perch provides fertiliser for growing tomatoes. Basil is also grown in the greenhouse. Photo: royalcourt.se

The King and Queen greet Magnus Tättinen-Billton at Ängsholmen Dairy in Harbo. Photo: Leif R Jansson/Scanpix

The King and Queen, Pontus Elvingson and Linda Elvingson with the water buffalo at Ängsholmen Dairy in Harbo. Photo: Leif R Jansson/Scanpix

10:29 After a tour of the farm, the family showed The King and Queen their mozzarella, which is made on a small scale and sold to a number of shops and restaurants. 10:14 Co-owner Linda Elvingson explained about the farm's operations and its buffalos. Ängsholmen Dairy Farm, north of Uppsala, is the only Swedish farm that produces Swedish buffalo mozzarella, buffalo yoghurt, buffalo butter and many other products. Their goal is to produce the world's best buffalo mozzarella.10:07 The King and Queen arrived at Ängsholmen Dairy Farm. 09:32 Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board Marie Wilén welcomed The King and Queen to Heby Municipality. Heby is Sweden's youngest municipality, having been formed in 2007. Heby is a rural municipality and is home to many small businesses, with over a thousand active companies. Ängsholmen Dairy Farm, with its herd of water buffalo, is an example of a small-scale business with a focus on food and cultivation. Morgongåva has a large warehouse for e-commerce, a sector which is experiencing growth. Tärnsjö Tannery is Sweden's only remaining tannery to carry out exclusively organic tanning. Heby is well known in Sweden for its horses, and around fifty of the municipality's businesses carry out equine activities. 09:18 Peter Egardt spoke about the day, and his intention to show parts of the county that The King and Queen might not have visited before. The county has eight municipalities, four of which were included in the day's visit. The county seat, Uppsala, has more than 200,000 inhabitants and is Sweden's fourth largest centre of population. 09:16 County Governor Peter Egardt welcomed The King and Queen, and spoke about the Stones of Mora, where kings were crowned in the Middle Ages.

The King and Queen are welcomed to the Stones of Mora. Photo: royalcourt.se

09:12 The King and Queen arrived at the Stones of Mora, where County Governor Peter Egardt and representatives from the county welcomed them to Uppsala County.

The programme for The King and Queen's visit on Friday 3 May.

09:45 The King and Queen are welcomed to Uppsala County by County Governor Peter Egardt, beginning the day with a visit to Ängsholmen Dairy Farm and its herd of water buffalo in Harbo, Heby Municipality. 11:00 The King and Queen visit the Björkgården family centre in Tierp. 12:00 The King and Queen arrive at the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company facility in Forsmark. 13:30 Lunch at Forsmark. 15:00 The King and Queen arrive at Östhammar and walk to Rådhustorget. The King gives a speech. 15:30 The King and Queen visit Industrihydraulik AB in Östhammar. 16:20 The King and Queen visit the incubator company Sublift AB at Öregrund Shipyard. 17:35 The King and Queen arrive at Uppsala Castle. The day in Uppsala County concludes with dinner hosted by the County Governor at the County Governor's official residence, Uppsala Castle.

County visits 2013

In connection with The King's 40th jubilee, The King and Queen will be visiting all of Sweden's 21 counties during the year.